cat delivered 2 kittens so far but not sure if there is more

[desert82]

I'm new here and not sure if this is where I post this but we took on a stray cat which is pregnant. This morning at 5 45 she had her first then around 7 20 she had a 2nd kitten. It feels like there is at least another in there but she's not having contractions and her breathing seems to have slowed down a bit from the fast shallow earlier. Both kittens seem to be healthy and are nursing (have another question about that as well) the first kitten I thought she was about to kill it because she got out of her box and went in the hallway and I heard a kitten start screaming and it looked like she was spinning the kitten around so I stopped her. Not sure what she was doing maybe trying to get the sack off? Idk the 2nd came out fine and she just licked the sack ate the placenta and I just thought the others would have showed up by now. Any thoughts? Sorry for such a long post

 

[hbunny]

Welcome--hopefully an experience expert will jump in soon!  But I have seen on posts here that sometimes hours pass between kittens....until a more knowledgeable source hops in, please read through the threads and use the search bar for other posts.  I've seen this question quite often on here.  You are on the right forums!

 

[desert82]

Ok Thank you very much.

 

[hbunny]

Best of luck with your babies!  I don't have newborn experience, but there are a ton on here that do that will jump in soon I am sure!

 

[Sarthur2]

As long as mom is not in distress there is no need to worry. Kittens can come hours and even days apart. Sometimes it can appear that mom is still pregnant because she looks lumpy until her uterus shrinks back to normal.

Feed mom unlimited kitten chow and wet food while she is nursing, and plan to spay her when the kittens are 8 weeks old.

Thank you for caring for her! [emoji]128571[/emoji]

 

[desert82]

That's great. This is my first time experiencing something like this and will be the last because she's going to get fixed as soon as possibly. Now the other thing I was wondering is about the spinning the kitten around. It looked violent to me but is it possible she was scared since this is her first litter? I mean she literally pulled it out of herself and the only way she stopped was when I stopped her. Also the nursing she's asleep with them right now and they only cry when she g gets up so if they weren't getting any milk wouldn't they be crying a lot by now 6 hours after the birth if they weren't getting anything? Again sorry for all the questions just nervous if everything is ok. They look healthy from what I can tell

20170320_082303.jpg

• desert82
• Mar 20, 2017

 

[hbunny]

Beautiful babies (and mom)!!!

Go buy you a kitchen scale and start weighing them, get one that does ounces...you will be able to tell if you need to supplement them if there isn't proper weight gain. 

Here is a good article!!

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/weighing-newborn-kittens-and-how-this-could-save-their-lives

 

[desert82]

Thank you she's a sweetheart. I have a digital kitchen scale I was just afraid to pick them up because I had read that it's possible she could like not take to them them after they are handled that's why I haven't weighed them yet

 

[hbunny]

When you weigh them, do it right next to her in front of her....she will see that you aren't taking them away, and that you mean no harm.  I have read repeatedly on here that if you do that, where she can see them the entire time, it helps tremendously.  And no, they aren't prone to abandoning them just because you handle them.  It's kind of an old wives' tale!  Do what you need to do, just let her see everything so she knows they aren't being hurt. 

I really don't think she will have an issue with you doing that.  They are just adorable

 

[desert82]

Thank you very much, I.weighed them and they both are 4.1 oz and seem to be pretty content. Just sleeping and.eating and she's been laying with them the whole time. Her litter box is next to the tote she's in and the one time she got out to go I guess she forgot she had one still sucking and kinda drug it a few feet til she realized then she picked it up and put it back in the box. Was kinda cute just saw a little baby still hanging on for dear life lol. They must have some.pretty good suction to hang on like that. I appreciate everyone's help.

 

[Sarthur2]

I recommend weighing in grams because it's easier to track weight gain or loss. They need to gain 6-10 grams each minimum per day.

It sounds like they are doing well, and that mom was momentarily just a bit freaked out when she spun the kitten. Good you stopped it. It sounds like her mom instincts have kicked in now. Kittens get colostrum the first 24 hours, then milk.

Mom can be spayed when the kittens are 8 weeks old. Do not let her outside before she is spayed.

 

[desert82]

Yes she's definitely getting spayed asap. Wow so tomorrow when I weigh them they need to be around 10 oz min. I.didn't realize they put on that much weight that fast. Hopefully they will gain So they are about 116.2 grams right now.

 

[Sarthur2]

So sorry! I corrected my post to read 6-10 grams - not ounces - per day. They need to double their birth weights by the end of the first week.

 

[desert82]

Oh ok that seems a little better. Lol I was wondering how they were going to pull that off. They would be fat little kitty's if they were almost a pound in the morning lol. Thank you very much.

 

[Sarthur2]

I agree! I was apparently distracted when I wrote ounces instead of grams! [emoji]128521[/emoji]

 

[desert82]

I have one more question. I have been noticing that she has been getting out of the box with the kittens. Like she will get out and go lay on the floor in the living room. Her litter box is next to her as well as her food and water but she seems to be out of the box a lot. They are asleep at the moment and not crying so I'm guessing maybe she needs a break away? When should I start to worry? They weigh 127 grams today (4.46 oz) yesterday I measure them in oz before I knew that grams was easier to see the progress and they weighed 4.1 oz yesterday. So I'm assuming they are both gaining like they should. It just worries me that she's been getting out of there with them. She seems like she's pretty protective of them because when I weighed them she almost immediately picked them up and took them back to the box.

 

[foxden]

desert82
Is the box large enough? There needs to be enough space for mom to be fully stretched out and the kittens to be stretched out beside her.
When I fostered my Kiki, we went through several boxes as the kittens grew to make sure there was enough space for her to be comfortable and the kittens to move around

 

[libertysgoats]

Our rescue cat Matilda just had 5 kittens and she also spends time out side of the nest after nursing and tending to everyone. She isn't outside of the nest longer then 15-20 mins and goes right back in to check on everyone. I think she is just taking a brake. As long as momma cat is nursing and tending to them and not leaving them longer that she should I'd guess she is just taking a break. With her leaving I'd make sure you have a heat source so kittens don't get cold while she is out.

 

[Sarthur2]

I agree with the box being big enough, but mom cats enjoy taking a break outside the box while the kittens sleep. It's normal and no cause for concern as long as she goes back every 1-2 hours to feed them, or when they cry.

 

[desert82]

Ok great yea the box is a 16×23×5 plastic tote and she can stretch out in it. And so far 2 kittens is all she's had so I hope that's it. The box is lined with soft towels and I have a heating pad under the towels and then when she leaves I turn it on med for them. Its only on about half of the box so they can scoot on and off it as needed. As I was typing this she went back in there. She was probably out for an hour maybe. Also we have been burning up in here because I have the thermostat on 75 and it's normally on 65 but I guess the cold can harm the kittens. Its just been miserable in here with the heat. If she's in there with them and it's between 65 and 70 in the house should she be able to keep them warm enough? And when she does leave the heating pad be enough to keep them warm